UNIT 46. Reported speech (1) (He said that. )

A. Study this example situation:

You want to tell somebody else what Tom said.

There are two ways of doing this:

You can repeat Tom's words (direct speech):

Tom said 'I'm feeling ill.'

Or you can use reported speech:

Tom said that he was feeling ill.

Compare:

direct: Tom said I am feeling ill.' in writing we use these to show direct speech.

reported: Tom said that he was feeling ill.

B. When we use reported speech, the main verb of the sentence is usually past (Tom said that... I told her that... etc.). The rest of the sentence is usually past too:

* Tom said that he was feeling ill.

* I told her that I didn't have any money.

You can leave out that:

* Tom said (that) he was feeling ill.

* I told her (that) I didn't have any money.

In general, the present form in direct speech changes to the past form in reported speech:

am/is -> was

do/does -> did

will -> would

are -> were

have/has -> had

can -> could

want/like/know/go etc. -> want/liked/knew/went etc.

Compare direct speech and reported speech:

You met Judy. Here are some of the things she said to you in direct speech:

Judy:

'my parents are very well.'

'I'm going to learn to drive.'

'John has given up his job.'

'I can't come to the party on Friday.'

'I want to go away for a holiday but I don't know where to go.' 'I'm going away for a few days. I'll phone you when I get back.'

Later you tell somebody what Judy said. You use reported speech:

* Judy said that her parents were very well.

* She said that she was going to learn to drive.

* She said that John had given up his job.

* She said that she couldn't come to the party on Friday.

* She said that she wanted to go away for a holiday but (she) didn't know where to go.

* She said that she was going away for a few days and would phone me when she got back.

C. The past simple (did/saw/knew etc.) can usually stay the same in reported speech, or you can change it to the past Perfect (had done/had seen/had known etc.):

direct: Tom said: 'I woke up feeling ill, so I didn't go to work.'

reported: Tom said (that) he woke up feeling ill, so he didn't go to work. or Tom said (that) he had woken up feeling ill, so he hadn't gone to work.